The Art of Being a Second Shooter

Lesson 12 of 24

Shoot: Cake Cutting

The Art of Being a Second Shooter

Lesson 12 of 24

Shoot: Cake Cutting

Lesson Info

Shoot: Cake Cutting

So now we're going to we're going to focus on the bride and groom so typical bride and groom photo that they would do by themselves would be the cake cutting so we're going to transition over to the cake cutting perfect palace do you have the signature drinks by any chance the tall ones if not no worries okay, cool here yes, perfect thank you guys so what we're going to do is we're going to position you guys and so I'm looking for the best light usually as photographers we get teo position the clients where we want them to be. So if I was in this situation I wouldn't have them here because of the light source is behind them. What I would have them do is get them here so that the light is coming at them. I usually put the bride in the front because she's usually the most petite of the two but because it's a circular table it's great because I can position the groom to kind of get me ahead on angle and the bride at a side angle. So these are things to take into consideration so I'm gonna...

bring used to stand right about here stays he'll have you right next to him kelsey has provided these beautiful signature drinks for them now at this point I know that judgment has their fifty but uh when we're doing cake cutting if I put on the eighty five it's a little too tight sometimes so I actually my photo will you come out right? So at this point I'll even go wider, I'll put the thirty five on or I'll just stick with the fifty and get a whole different angle, and today I'm going to stick with the fifty and just try to get a different angle from what jazz is getting so that you could look like a completely different shot for a bit. So now we're going to do is what happens usually at this time is after I positioned the bride and groom, they usually wait for the coordinator or they don't quite know what to do with the cake cutting, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to get candid, so we're gonna stand I'm gonna stay right here. I usually get that straight on shot and jd will usually stand at an angle, although at this point maybe we can have jd here so that the light is spilling into your face is perfect. So these are the conversation that we would have right before, so usually the deejay we'll say this is the last song before we do the cake cutting at that moment, janey and I go over, we strategize where we're gonna place them and then we talk about this because this is happening we usually have a couple of minutes to strategize as the right now, I realize that that fifty is is going to give me a lot of the same results that jasmine has right now, so I don't want to do that. So, uh, I'm actually instead of going super wide, I'm actually gonna put the eighty five back on, and I think that this is gonna yield a still a better photo. Great. This is good space. Nice and light that face nice and lights. Beautiful. Good. Perfect. So now what we're gonna do is I have a pulled away shot. You can place your drinks down. You guys are gonna do the cake cutting someone switch angles, right? There's? No way we can put a drink on that other side. So you guys were just gonna hold the cake, the knife and you're going to get a look at each other because this is usually what couples do, right? Okay, this is good. That's great. And kind of pretend like you're gonna head on over to I mean, you're about actually, the bottom take is usually the one that they cut. Ok, no, this is perfect. This is perfect. Great. So now we're gonna do is we're going to have a slice of cake. Kelsey it's so er on it she has brought two slices of chocolate cake and I know everybody's jealous of this I'm sure you know if you can actually hold the fork that would be great if you could come up this way perfect so what I'm gonna do now is just gonna get a shot of the cake sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't that's perfect now what I want you guys to do is to each take a turn feeding each other cake no however we could do a cake smashing if you know I'm just getting I'm totally kidding with you what are you good I'm good horizontal uh no, I am okay you like forgetting for like do perfect thank you. Perfect. So what would you guys think is in the eating what was happening then is usually jd and I are gonna be right next to each other and I was asking what do you have what do you have? What do you have more time we're talking each other and said vertical or horizontal and I just you know at the point I was doing doing, uh vertical so I said now in horizontal were good um tomorrow we're going to be showing some kind of what we're happy what's happening and when and actually what makes that my camera's tethered so a lot of times you're just seeing really detailed shots of them just just their hands most of time, that's what I'm doing because I know that jasmine is getting the overall shot. So tomorrow you'll definitely get be able to see a good ah good range of what we're getting together as a whole. The gallery as a whole perfect cake smells amazing. Yes, I want a bite boy at that leader. I also want to drink it. We'll have the later too. Okay, so what we're gonna do now is we're going to move the cake back. Uh, from from this area were going to shoot the bride and groom just for a very quick shooting demo between a bride and groom in two different locations and also kelsey, um, if I can have the sign in sheet ready in about five minutes, but not there's. Not a direct rush right now. So I'm going to move this table and I never put my camera on something that could fall. I've learned to keep my camera off to decide. Judy, if I could get you. Teo, help move this table. Okay. No way, actually move a lot of stuff on a wedding day way. Do that quite a bit to get shots that we need, um, sometimes I explain to j t in the past that we're not just photographers were stylist because we're not shooting the weddings that we were shooting the weddings we want. Yes, but we're also shooting the weddings we want to shoot in the future and sometimes it takes artistic styling on our end. So I'm in a position the bride and groom if I can get the bouquet for the bride, of course. And so immediately you got to see I turned to j t and I'm like, if we could get the cable right that's what he does for me all the time? Yes. What if there's no. What do you do it, it's? Just a dark room for the cake are using on camera what's with the bounce way? Yes. And we can actually, I mean well, this room is pretty is pretty well. Listen, in this in the situation of a cake cutting yes, we would be using flash. We would be using up with the bounce card from the flash up like this. But sometimes no jd uses its a lot more because I'm usually getting the head on shot. But he stands up to the side so he can bounce that flash against the wall and get this nice, beautiful. Kind of like way also have video lights and I am not afraid to just turn on the video line at that point if the light looks even better I'll even turn off my flash and just use that constant video light for just for the cakes for the cake cutting once the cake cutting is over we'll go back to using our flash I actually hold it tomorrow I'll hold it with one hand and actually just shoot so and he's illuminating my shot when he's doing that as well so that's great cool so for me again we're talking about being stylised within a photo shoot because we shot a lot of blue hues so kelsey and I had a conversation and she had said that the I think the idea is the themes of what it was was like a summer harvest you see a lot of berries you'll see a lot of wild flowers very reminiscent of pacific northwest I think she completely nailed it so what I want to do from an artistic perspective is tele color story as well so we have these blue green panels in the background so I'm gonna do his position mike clients in front of that blue green background even though this light isn't the best because what we're having illuminate this area is this floor he's becoming uh a reflector but it's kind of like camp fire lighting right? It's kind of coming up from the bottom not so complimentary but we're going to see what we can do manipulating camera when have you scoot over just a tiny bit forgive me now I'm not going to put my subjects too far back in this area I'm gonna bring them up to the light source and I have to remember that the two of them must be facing this direction so that they're both eliminated equally in light of that I'm just going to place them shoulder to shoulder somebody take you this way justine ram stays and you take for here you guys can just interlock your arms and you push this you put that kate at this point I'm already starting to test my life since the lighting situation is pretty dark I'm gonna have to push my uh my camera to the limit so my lenses so I'm going to shoot at a one point eight knowing that there's two people but I'll try to keep a focus on one person so that I can really get that crisp shot where jasmine I know is going to be getting with the fifty states that the same shot so in this particular situation j d why don't you talk about what you're saying so my settings right now are you know it is pretty dark I am right now I'm gonna test my second shot will be eightieth one eightieth of us uh start with the aperture one point eight one eightieth of a second s oh eight hundred don't do that my settings are going to be aperture two point eight eyes so twelve fifty shutter speed one hundred so you'll see those differences between us but I'm getting the same shot he can shoot with a really wide temperature because he doesn't have to get both people focus will be standing at a distance probably just focusing on one person at a time. Great! I'm gonna have you guys can you relax? It's? Okay, state's good, good. Can you lean your body and just slightly like that that's that is good, beautiful looking at each other. Beautiful. Good. Now what? I want you to do a good turn your turn your shoulders towards me. Beautiful she's coming this way do you like how I privy to your name? I'm sorry. Okay, okay, go, go, go! We'll have your hands here just resting there you can have your hand in your pocket. Perfect. Yes. So j d will take my bouquet and she would the bouquet that's just what he does. Keep on stepping on that. Forgive me. I think we're good. Ok, good lean in stacey perfect, great, awesome! Now what I want us to do did he do get shot? I have not yet, okay, great when you're beautiful to be honest, I'm kind of finding I'm struggling a little bit at this point again, so I'm just on my light every time I look at the back of my camera either a little too too underexposed o r it's too bright, so I'm actually trying to get into either just trying to get closer so I can actually get a different angle in different look also I'll say that I'm very difficult to shoot with I move fast, they don't wait for people so I mean, I have to understand that the bulk of the portfolio will be coming from me and j d is salt and pepper to I'm looking for that one or two for you one or two that I can actually get for jasmine at this point great. So now we're gonna have you guys do is, um take a couple steps you're gonna be taking a couple steps or me but just hold your hold your hands perfect nice and actually can you hold the bouquet? Yeah, you just hold it and then yeah, you can pick up the side of your dress beautiful stacy take one step towards me. Perfect. Uh, actually what I wanted t oh gosh, this is so beautiful good, so what now what I want you to do is to pick up your dress looked at good, take one step towards me. Safe, beautiful. Look back at west now walk with me, guys at a pace of one teo good, leaning in towards each other for like a kiss. You good, beautiful that's. Exactly what I love her falling out of the kiss and her laughing is when you get those, like, really sincere, absolutely beautiful things.

Class Description

If you're an established second shooter or looking to become one, this course focuses on ways to strengthen your portfolio, be proactive, improve shooting technique, establish the terms of shooting agreements, become a vital asset to the wedding day, and learn how to book jobs. In addition to lots of content, conversations, and fun, a live shoot will demonstrate the first/second shooter dynamic and a portfolio review.

Laura

Great course!!
As a newly emerging photographer, I just got my first second shooting opportunity a few weeks ago. Since I had never photographed a wedding before (even as a second shooter), I searched Creative Live for a second shooting course and was relieved to find this one. After watching some of the free sample portions, I purchased it. I was happy to find that despite the few negative reviews left before mine, the course is an excellent one for those with no second-shooting experience.
Here is what I liked most about it:
a) It includes several segments where Jasmine and JD demonstrate how they work together at a wedding. I found Jasmine and JD to be very honest in their representation of how things actually occur during a wedding. Since I had not (at the time I purchased the course) ever photographed at a wedding before, I was desperate to get a sense of how things really work. Jasmine and JD delivered in this regard. I was able to see how things really flow...how to react and photograph in tight time frames...how to stay out of the main photographer's way and still take good images...and what to pack and how to preplan in order to truly support the primary photographer.
b) JD and Jasmine were very honest in talking about some of the mistakes they have made in getting to where they are today. I think this must be hard to do - baring your soul and talking about things that have gone wrong. But in doing so, they give something to students like me that some other teachers don't - a truly realistic view (from the perspective of someone who has made them) of the errors newer photographers commonly make, and how to succeed and keep moving forward in spite of them. Jasmine has done this in other courses she teaches on Creative Live as well, and it is very much appreciated. It's such a relief to see that in their early days, seasoned and successful photographers make rookie mistakes too - and to hear how they pushed through them. Everyone makes mistakes. The question is - what can be done to fix them, and how do you avoid making them again in the future. JD and Jasmine address these things in this course.
c) JD and Jasmine have different personalities and different approaches to certain aspects of their craft. It was helpful and inspiring to me to see how they work together in spite of the differences. I think their differences actually complement the other. Like JD and Jasmine, my husband and I work together in our newly emerging photography business, and have differences in our personalities and approaches to photography. I really appreciated seeing how Jasmine and JD use these differences to enhance their photography, and how they work through the sometimes tense challenges that can arise in fast-moving wedding photography scenarios. I also liked hearing things from both of their perspectives.
d) JD provides lots of solid, tangible, helpful tips in this course, including a list of non-photography-specific items to pack in support of the primary photographer. His advice on second shooter etiquette is solid and includes lots of ideas and concepts that I hadn't thought of prior to watching this course.
e) JD provides information about shooting angles and lenses to shoot from/with that help round out the main shooter's wedding portfolio for each client. Again - I learned concepts and ideas that I hadn't thought of prior to taking this course.
I watched this course twice prior to my first second-shooting job and it paid off. I felt a lot more prepared, and comfortable, going into the job than I would have without the information presented by JD and Jasmine.
I highly recommend this course to other newly emerging photographers who haven't photographed at a wedding before, and who are looking for solid advice for what to expect, how to prepare, how to photograph as a second shooter, and how to support the main photographer at weddings in general.
Good stuff!!

Sean

Great course. Jasmine and JD did a great job of teaching this course. They were well prepared, entertaining to watch and provided a lot of useful information.